


you feel like home

by jamesniall



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Divorce AU, M/M, Past Niall Horan/Zayn Malik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 11:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5783515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesniall/pseuds/jamesniall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Do you need any help with that?” Niall asks as he bends down to pick up a paper that slipped from Harry's hand. </p><p>“Oh, hi!” The stranger says with a smile, “I’m Harry. Would shake your hand if both of mine weren’t tangled up in this bunch of documents.” </p><p>Niall nods, throwing a knowing smile at him. “Know how it feels, mate. Went through the same trouble before getting here.”</p><p>Or, going through a divorce au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you feel like home

**Author's Note:**

> For the amazing Kaylee who sent me this prompt on tumblr. It was such a fun thing to write I hope you like this!! <3

Niall is sitting outside of the court office, mindlessly playing with his phone and going through the endless amount of papers he had to bring for the meeting with his lawyer. They had set up the meeting for 10am and now that he’s been sitting for about twenty minutes on his own, with nothing interesting to do or look at, he kind of regrets not setting it up for earlier.

After checking that every paper has his signature in all the right places and after he’s run out of lives on Candy Crush, he’s bored out of his mind. He blames the yet another argument he had with Zayn shortly after they finished breakfast which made him leave their- _his_ house almost half an hour early than he had planned to.

It’s 9:45 when the door finally opens and Bressie comes out of his office and sends him a smile before turning around again to shake a man’s hand.

“I’ll see you next week, Mr Styles. I’ll give you a call if anything comes up with your papers.” He says.

 _Mr Styles_ nods at him, shaking Bressie’s hand and grinning pleasantly. He’s tall, his limbs way too long for his body, in Niall’s opinion. The long strands of his hair and the brightness in his green eyes make him seem younger than he probably is.

Niall doesn’t realize he’s been staring until Bressie clears his throat and calls out Niall’s name, a disbelieving laugh coming out with it, which makes Niall think it’s not the first time he said it.

“Brez, hi,” Niall starts, standing up from the uncomfortable seat he’s been for the past half an hour, mindful of all the papers he’s holding in his hands.

“You’re early, thought I might get to grab a coffee before our meeting.”

“Oh, that’s alright, I can wait for you. Our meeting is not until 10 anyway, go on, head.”

Bressie leaves shortly after that, and when Niall turns around to sit again in his chair he finds the brunette, tall lad sitting in the other one beside his, a bunch of papers scattered around in his lap and in the empty seat beside him.

“Do you need any help with that?” Niall asks as he bends down to pick up a paper that slipped from _Mr Styles’_ hand.

“Oh, hi!” The stranger says with a smile, “I’m Harry. Would shake your hand if both of mine weren’t tangled up in this bunch of documents.”

Niall nods, throwing a knowing smile at him. “Know how it feels, mate. Went through the same trouble before getting here.”

“Oh I know,” Harry shakes his head, huffing out a sigh, “I had all of this nice and neat back home, but Breslin wanted to go through everything again, to _finish the process,”_ he says, attempting to mock Bressie. “I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer through the same thing once again when you’re out of his office.” He finally looks up at Niall when he manages to close the folder, despite having some corners of the papers sticking out.

“Probably not, though. I’m still not here to finish the process, just a check-up, a couple signatures, a bit of advice and I’m out, that usually doesn’t make that much of a mess.”

“You say that as if you’ve done this a hundred times.”

“I have,” Niall sighs, then frowns and shakes his head, “not the divorcing, but like, the talking. This has taken more time than I expected.”

“That sounds awful.” Harry says, turning around in his seat so he’s closer to Niall. “Mine went pretty smoothly, as smooth as a divorce can go, you know, we figured a couple things out before talking to a lawyer so we wouldn’t have to fight in court for useless stuff. Never been one for the drama.”

“A chilled divorce.” Niall muses, laughing when Harry chokes out a laugh. “Can I ask the reason why?”

Harry doesn’t look bothered at all when Niall asks, he just replies, a bit of a sad smile on his face, “We got married too young.” He starts, “We started dating back in high school, went to uni pretty close to each other and when we graduated it seemed like the right thing to do, like, as if it was bound to happen. But, later on we realized it had felt more like an obligation than a meant-to-be kind of thing. It was easier getting it over with while we’re still young rather than dragging it out, I guess.”

“That’s like- If divorce wasn’t as shitty, yours would be the ideal one, I think. Doesn’t make it easier but makes it better.”

“That’s what all my friends have said!” Harry says with a laugh, “The only hard part was deciding who’d stay with our cat, but seeing as he’s flying out to a smaller city in a smaller flat the best shot was that I kept him, so, it all turned out quite alright.”

“That’s good, mate.” Niall replies, not having anything better to say and feeling just a tad bitter about the fact that divorcing Zayn isn’t as easy as fighting with him.

“Can I ask your reason, now?” Harry asks carefully, voice softer.

“I guess, yeah.” Niall shrugs, “He- he cheated a couple times.”

Niall can feel Harry freeze beside him, “A couple times? Jesus, I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be,” Niall laughs half-heartedly, "in a way, I’m glad I figured it out before it got worse.” It had been hard, sure, getting back home after a shorter shift at work to find a blonde woman sitting on Zayn’s lap half naked, in his favourite couch. It was even harder when Zayn accepted it, slapped Niall across his face with all the truth about how many times he had been at it, how many times and at how many occasions he had lied at Niall and turned the world Niall loved and cherished upside down. “It’s alright now, I moved out about two months ago and started the divorce process after I got in terms with it, almost a month ago.”

Harry places a hand on Niall’s shoulder, squeezing tenderly and giving Niall a small smile. “I’m useless when it comes to this, but if you want to talk about it you can count on me.”

“Thank you Harry, I’ll keep it mind.” He says, reaching out to pat the hand Harry has in his shoulder and squeeze back.

It’s in that moment that he sees Bressie making his way across the empty hallway, a mug and a biscuit in hand as he approaches them slowly.

“At what time do you think you’ll be out of here?” Harry asks suddenly, squeezing Niall’s fingers one last time before he starts gathering his things.

“Uh – if it goes well hopefully around 10:30. Why?”

“There’s a small and cosy place where we can get some tea and have the tastiest cupcakes you’ll ever taste, just around the corner from here. Would you join me?”

“Oh. I – woah, I mean,” Niall stumbles over his words, he’s probably gaping as a fish and he can feel a blush spreading all over his cheeks and neck, “Yeah.” He says at last, breathlessly, a bit overwhelmed. “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Good,” Harry says with a nod, “I’ll save you a seat.”

Niall nods back, smiling wide and eager, his grin doesn’t fade one bit as he gets inside Bressie’s office, if that, it only grows, and the bubbly feeling in his stomach comes out with a laugh as Harry sends him a wink before he closes the door and waves Harry goodbye.


End file.
